Traitor
by SoundWriter
Summary: What really happened when Sirius told Snape Remus's secret? And will their friendship ever be the same? Rated for violence. Please read and review, it would mean the world to me!
1. Chapter 1

Traitor

**Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Harry Potter.**

Lightening crackled against the walls of Hogwarts and echoed in the corridors as the four infamous Marauders rushed to class.

"Bloody Merlin, Moony, hurry up!" Sirius panted as he brushed back a sweaty strand of hair from his face. "We're already-" he checked his watch- "eight minutes late to Transfiguration. McGonagall's gonna slaughter us…"

"Sorry," Remus gasped, his already pale face losing whatever color it had left. "The full moon's tonight, in case you've forgotten!" the tawny-haired boy added snappishly.

Sirius muttered a quick apology. "Prongs, Wormy. We're already late, why even try to make it?" The boys nodded in agreement and slowed their pace. James' glasses were knocked askew. Another bolt of lightning shook the pictures lining the walls. The Marauders walked to class, Remus still trailing behind the others. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"God, Moony. I'll just carry you," A mischievous grin lit up his angular features, identical to the one already forming on James' face.

"Wormtail, carry Moony's books," the messy-haired boy ordered as he took Sirius' own. The porky Marauder quickly complied. Remus looked at Sirius skeptically.

"Padfoot, this'll be humiliating…" he started weakly, but his protests were futile. Sirius picked him up bridal-style with what looked like no effort. Remus snorted as the taller Marauder winked at him, but was secretly grateful he didn't have to walk the rest of the way.

Two minutes later, the group of four arrived in front of the Charms classroom. Thunder rumbled, adding a convenient theatrical effect as the Marauders entered the room, Remus still in Sirius' arms.

"Oh, Minnie, my beloved!" James called loudly. "Pleasure to see you, darling." He added in a cocky wink for good measure.

"Shame I can't say the same for you, Potter! Pettigrew! Lu….should I even ask?" the Professor asked tartly, glancing at the boy in Sirius' muscular arms.

"I wouldn't recommend it," responded Remus. "Sirius just couldn't resist my charms-"

"Mister Lupin! You and your friends will serve detention with me Saturday night. Since you're," she checked her own watch, "eleven minutes late, you will have each have eleven inches of parchment, due Monday, on why it is important to be punctual."

"But Minnie!" James whined. The stern woman pursed her lips stolidly.

"Sit, Mr. Potter. You too," McGonagall added, nodding at the other troublemakers. "In your own seats!" she hissed as Sirius sat in his seat with Remus in his lap. By now, the entire classroom was in hysterics. All except for one Severus Snape, who sneered at them the entire time. Remus looked at Sirius appreciatively and walked to his own seat.

The class dragged on monotonously as Sirius, James and Remus mastered spell after spell. They really were naturals, followed closely by Lily Evans and Snape. After what seemed like an eternity, the Marauders rushed off to the next class- all but Sirius. The handsome boy stayed behind for a stern lecturing from McGonagall on appropriate classroom etiquette. Which, as usual, he ignored. Surprisingly, Snape was waiting after class for him.

"Having fun in there?" he asked snidely. Sirius looked down at the shorter boy with contempt.

"Having fun washing your hair?" Sirius said viciously. "Oh wait- that never happens!"

Snape just rolled his eyes. "Well, _Padfoot," he drawled, _placing heavy emphasis on the nickname, "what are you doing tonight? Sneaking out with Lupin again? Yes, I know what he is."

"You know nothing!" Sirius spat. Snape raised an oily eyebrow. "Well, fine! You want to know so badly? Just get past the whomping willow by pressing the knot, you'll be satisfied, I hope," Sirius whispered dangerously.

Snape looked smug. "See you there," he said ominously, just as another bolt of lightening crackled in the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter. And never will.**

Remus dragged himself to the Infirmary. Every slow step, every beat of his heart reminded him it was nearly time for him to become the monster he feared and hated. His mood lighted fractionally when he remembered that Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail would be there for him. But that didn't stop Remus from praying that he wouldn't kill, or worse, bite someone. Especially a Marauder. Madam Pomfrey smiled warmly and escorted him to the Shrieking Shack, his monthly prison.

The aforementioned group of pranksters was lounging in the Gryffindor common room, eagerly anticipating the adventures ahead of them.

"Let's go through the forest tonight," suggested James casually, although the way his hazel eyes danced with excitement behind his glasses betrayed his offhanded tone.

Sirius and Peter nodded their approval.

Sirius looked outside. The clouds surrounding the full moon wouldn't stay that way for long. "Let's go!" the fifteen year old said. "It'll happen any minute now."

The Marauders rushed outside as the sky darkened further. Rain poured and thunder rumbled, soaking James' glasses until he could hardly see. And, unbeknownst to the hurried boys, it dampened the cloak of a certain Severus Snape who, predictably, had his hooked nose buried in a book. His black eyes glinted with malice as he noticed the popular boys, minus Lupin, rushing towards the Whomping Willow. This was his opportunity, and being the sly Slytherin he was, Snape didn't miss out on the opportunity to stealthily sneak behind the boys. He observed carefully as Potter picked up a stick from the ground and prodded a knot near the base of the trunk, freezing the violet tree.

The Slytherin watched in shock as the boys' features morphed. Black was a shaggy black dog, Pettigrew was a rat- no surprise there-, and Potter was an impressive stag. A horrible scream and the sound of snapping bones confirmed Severus' suspicion- Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Just as the Animaguses moved towards the door that was being repeatedly slammed against, Severus finally spoke from the shadows.

"Interesting, Black," Snape said sharply. "Lupin is a werewolf! Wait until Dumbledore hears about thi-"

That was when, upon hearing and smelling a human that was _oh so close,_ the wolf that was Remus Lupin broke through the door. And that was when all hell broke loose.

James transformed into a human almost instantly. "Snape, follow me!" he roared. "Pads, Wormy, hold Moony back!"

A vicious werewolf at his heels, the two boys sprinted like they'd never done before. A shrill scream escaped Severus against his will as a claw brushed his back. He had to keep running, though! Finally, Severus was able to magically seal the passageway out of the Shrieking Shack, and panting, glared at James, who'd broken a lens of his glasses somewhere throughout the chase. "Bloody hell!" Severus screamed. "That MONSTER-" Snape's words were abruptly stopped when James shoved his fist down Severus' throat.

"Shut up!" he hissed. "Dumbledore can handle this. Why did you follow us, you idiot?"

"Black might've tipped me off as to Lupin's whereabouts this evening," replied the smaller boy with a smirk, loving how James' eyes widened in shock and fury. "Why, without him, I would have never known that a monster is prowling Hogwarts!"

"Shut it, Snape!" Potter said loudly. Lightening struck again, as if to emphasize his point. Rain poured down even harder on the two boys just as they entered the castle. "Get a move on. We have to let Dumbledore know what happened."

Just then, Sirius showed up behind them. James' eyes flashed with nothing more than pure rage. He punched his former best friend repeatedly in the face, until his nose cracked and blood poured down his face. Severus watched this all with some sort of wicked amusement. That is, until the Headmaster himself appeared behind the trio.

With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore blasted the furious teenager apart from Sirius, whose blood had now began to trickle down his neck. "What is the meaning of this?" he boomed.

James replied, "Because Black here told Snape!"

"Told Severus what, exactly?"

"About Remus!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened in horror. The usual twinkle behind them was dead. "Come with me," he said, and walked towards his office in a deadly silence. James snuck several murderous glares at Sirius, who averted his gaze, too ashamed to face his livid friend. Severus remained silent, although he was fuming behind his mask of calmness.

As the boys reached the Headmaster's study, Dumbledore finally turned to acknowledge them. "I'd like an explanation," he said coldly. "Was anyone infected tonight?"

Severus shook his head. "No. But Lupin nearly killed me tonight! He's a werewolf!"

"I am well aware of the fact, Mister Snape. Now, Mister Black, would you care to explain why you nearly killed innocent students tonight?"

Sirius hung his head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Headmaster," he began, before he was quickly interrupted by the stag Animagus.

"You better be!" he screamed. "Snape could've died tonight, and you know what that'd mean for Remus? He'd be killed! Because of you!"

The Headmaster nodded. "What James said is true. Do you understand how serious this is?"

Sirius felt tears welling in his throat, but he quickly swallowed them down. "Headmaster, I wasn't thinking.'

"Sure as hell you weren't!" snarled Snape. For once, he agreed with Potter wholeheartedly.

Sirius continued. "I never thought Snape would actually see Remus. I'm so sorry, I deserve to die…" he said, his voice cracking. The others in the room felt no pity for him.

"You will be suspended for a week, Mister Black, to reflect upon your actions. I will send out an owl to your parents, however, to protect your friend's privacy, I will not disclose the exact details of what occurred here tonight. Is that clear?" Sirius nodded.

"As for you, Mister Snape," Dumbledore continued, confronting the Slytherin, "you are not to divulge anyone with what happened tonight. Doing so will require your expulsion from Hogwarts. Do I have your word, Severus?" Snape nodded curtly. "Very well, Severus. You are dismissed." Snape exited the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Turning to James, he said, "For showing Gryffindor bravery and helping a fellow schoolmate in a time of crisis, I award fifty points to Gryffindor."

"Thank you, Headmaster," said James stiffly.

"Now I'd like you to help Mister Black retrieve his belongings while I owl his family," said Dumbledore. James nodded and nearly dragged Sirius out of the room. They walked silently to the dorms, where James picked up Sirius' various belongings that were sloppily dispersed around the dorm. _Even him punching me would be better than this,_ thought Sirius. He'd never seen James so quiet, and it unnerved him quite a bit.

"Well?" James finally spoke, breaking the stony silence on their way back to the Headmaster's study. "Did you get what you wanted?" He didn't allow Sirius to speak. "You really are no better than the other Blacks."

Those words stung Sirius more painfully than any Stinging Hex could.

Dumbledore nodded at Sirius as they entered his study. Walburga Black stood there, staring coldly at her son. "Come," she said in a deadly voice, and fastened her steel grip on his arm.

As they used Floo to arrive at twelve Grimmauld Place, Walburga rounded on her oldest son. "Blood traitor!" she spat. "Shame of my flesh!" Her grey eyes looked black in the night, illuminated somewhat by the moonlight.

"CRUCIO!"

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read, favoritde, and followed this! Please review, I'd really appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter and don't intend to anytime soon.**

Sirius screamed like he never had before and collapsed to the floor. His entire body was on fire, hot knives digging into every inch of his skin…he saw his mother, laughing as he was being tortured. Sirius formed one coherent thought through the haze of pain: he knew what she wanted, and he wouldn't give it to her. Never would he beg for mercy.

An entire minute later, Walburga finally released her hold on the Unforgivable Curse. Sirius writhed on the floor uncontrollably, the pain still burned into his mind.

"Learned your lesson, have you?" asked the cruel woman. "This is what happens when you besmirch the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black! When you lower yourself to associate with Mudbloods and blood traitor filth! Look at me when I talk to you, boy!" Sirius coughed up blood before glaring up at his mother.

"Never."

Walburga yanked on Sirius' dark curls, dragged his body upwards, and slapped him. Hard. Stars swam before Sirius' vision and stinging heat blazed across his face. "You will obey me!" she screamed. "Disgrace! You are pathetic!"

At this point, Orion entered the living room. He took in the sight of his son, still being held by his hair. "Not such a Gryffindor hero now, are you?" he snarled, before he delivered a sharp kick to Sirius' ribs. Sirius groaned as a large crack resonated through the dark halls of 12 Grimmauld Place. The night dragged on this way, until at last his parents tired of beating and torturing him.

Sirius dragged himself, limping, to his bedroom. It was after midnight. Every breath sent a sharp pain coursing throughout his body, and his right eye was already swollen shut. He curled up on his bed in a fetal position, cradling his damaged ribs. Sirius looked at the bikini-clad Muggle girls permanently stuck to his wall, thinking about how that had infuriated his parents so much when he was a third-year. In fact, he would have smirked, had it not hurt so much to do so.

Next he looked at the multiple Gryffindor banners all around the room, scarlet and gold, reminding him of his betrayal to Remus. _Not such a Gryffindor hero now, are you? _His father's angry words echoed in his head. It was true; no Gryffindor would stoop so low as to betray his friend. He looked at the picture on his dresser, the one of him, James, and Remus, taken in the winter of their second year.

Sirius exuded his usual aura of youthful carelessness, apparent even in the photo. He was laughing heartily with James at some long-forgotten joke. Remus stood next to Sirius, their arms around each other. The shorter boy glanced at the camera, rolling his eyes but grinning the whole time. Snow fell around them, dusting the boys' rosy cheeks and robes. Peter was absent, having taken the picture himself. Finally, Remus himself laughed with the others, and the photo replayed itself as it was charmed to do.

This was his breaking point. The Cruciatus curse was almost preferable to this reminder of what a horrible thing Sirius had done. Gentle, knowledgeable, funny, witty, caring Remus who'd always been there for his fellow Marauders, smiled at him. Would Sirius ever see him smile again? Remus had every right to be bitter about his lycanthropy, yet he was the person everyone looked up to and asked for help. Yet, all for the sake of scaring Snape, Sirius had probably wrecked their friendship. A sob wracked his broken body, for the first time in ten years.

Sirius cried himself into a fitful, nightmare- riddled sleep that night.

The next morning wasn't much better. "Sirius!" Orion Black bellowed. "Get down here! NOW!" Sirius trudged down the stairs, still sore from last night's "lesson."

Orion's eyes, silver like Sirius' but with coldness his son's lacked, zeroed in on his limping, slouched form. "Stand up straight," he barked. Sirius quickly complied, knowing that if he obeyed then what was sure to come would perhaps be less torturous that usual. "This is what happens when you shame our family," Orion whispered. He raised his wand and that was the last thing Sirius saw before he was swallowed by painful oblivion.

Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, James and Peter debated on how to tell Remus of the previous night's events. James was absolutely furious- Peter definitely wouldn't be arguing with his bespectacled friend.

"Bloody traitor!" the taller boy screamed in the dorm, pulling at his eternally messy hair. Thank goodness he'd put up a silencing charm on the dorm moments before. Peter watched in a somewhat fearful silence. "And to think- I- we- TRUSTED HIM! And he betrayed Moony! Betrayed us!" James screeched, his voice rising higher with every word.

Peter nodded, small eyes wide. "But, James, how do we tell him?"

"I dunno, Wormtail," James sighed, pinching the bridge of his long nose. "How the hell do we tell him that he's been betrayed by our former best friend?"

"C'mon, Prongs. He'll be madder if he knows we keep it from him for a while. Let's go." James stared at Peter. He was the quiet one, the overlooked nobody in the group of handsome troublemakers. For once, he seemed to have an opinion of his own.

The two boys trudged to the Hospital Wing. It was abandoned except for Remus, who was looking worse than usual after a full moon. He was rereading _Hogwarts, a History,_ in a bed. The lycanthrope's eyes lit up when he say his friends. "Hi," he said tiredly. He looked around. "Um…where's Padfoot?" Remus' smile faltered somewhat. James and Peter didn't responded. "Where's Padfoot?" Remus repeated.

James and Peter glanced at each other nervously. "Mate, we're not sure how to tell you this…" Peter began slowly.

"Tell me what?" Remus said, an irritated tone creeping in to his voice. James began,

"Sirius Black is a traitor, Remus. He told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow…" he trailed off.

"No," Remus gasped, shaking his head. "No, he wouldn't do that. Please, tell me this is some cruel joke," Remus said desperately. James shook his head solemnly. "Did I…" the werewolf began, his voice shaking with fear.

"No. Snape was pissed off, but Dumbledore made him promise not to tell. The traitor's been suspended," said James. Remus relaxed, immensely relieved that he hadn't hurt anyone.

"Why?" he asked. "Just why?" He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, which was already beginning to show signs of greying. "How could Sirius do this to us? To _me_?" Remus paused before saying, "I _hate _him."

**A/N: Thanks to all my readers, reviewer,****(thanks, Hermione Is My Role Model) **and followers! Please review, they make my day. :)

**-SoundWriter**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me…unfortunately. **

The week passed by with awkward silences for the Marauders at Hogwarts- those weird little pauses right as Peter or James or Remus were going to say _Sirius. _Then remembering that he had pretty much told Snape everything, and tried to go on with the conversation as if the blunder hadn't happened.

For Sirius, the week passed with slaps, screams, kicks, punches and the Cruciatus Curse. Worst of all was the guilt that was like a storm cloud over his head. As much as he dreaded and feared his own home, his stomach plunged whenever he thought of facing the Marauders at school. If James' reaction was any indication, he was in for a world of hurt when he returned to Hogwarts. Not that his home wasn't a world of hurt. His eye was still swollen, his rib was still mending, and hand-shaped bruises traced his neck and face.

"Sirius!" screeched his mother one night, when Sirius' suspension finally ended. "Come downstairs this instant, and bring your trunk!" Sirius dragged his trunk behind him as he turned to face his mother. "You will make the Blacks proud for once, do you understand me? Or you will wish you had never been born." Sirius gulped and nodded fearfully. Oh, how the mighty had fallen! If only his admiring fangirls could see him now, cowering at the sight of his mother, even though she was half a foot shorter than he was. Walburga wrapped her hand firmly around Sirius' wrist, taking immense pleasure in seeing him wince as she did so. They stepped into the Floo and were soon in Dumbledore's study. The bearded man was waiting for them expectantly.

"Hello, Sirius, Mrs. Black," he said, nodding respectfully at the haughty woman. She did not return the nod, just sneered disdainfully at him. As always, he smiled serenely back at her as if he didn't notice her expression. "Sirius, I trust you had enough time to consider the consequences of your actions." Sirius nodded. "You may return to your common room." Without a glance at his mother, Sirius practically bolted out of the room. Walburga stepped into the Floo after one last sneer at Dumbledore, leaving the elderly wizard alone once more. His keen observational skills hadn't faded with age. He noticed how Sirius flinched at his mother's every touch, the bruise circling his eye, and most alarmingly the bruises on his neck.

Sirius entered the Gryffindor common room, and at once, the conversation went dead. Everyone watched as he made his way into _that _dorm, the noisy one that housed the infamous Marauders. The dorm itself had been strangely silent the entire week.

"James," Remus sighed, rolling his eyes, "Evans is not going to go out with you if you-" his sentence ended abruptly as he took notice of Sirius' entrance. James looked up from the parchment he was scribbling on messily. His eyes narrowed, and Peter just watched it all unfold before him. Remus broke the awkward silence.

"Come on, James, Peter. We don't want to ruin Black's mood with our presence." The words were spoken with a cold, harsh edge.

"Moony…" Sirius began weakly.

"I don't want to hear it Black. Don't call me Moony, you don't deserve to," he spat. "Come on, guys." Peter and James followed Remus out the door, not even sparing a glance at Sirius. Sirius waited until the three were long gone before he finally let tears flow freely down his face.

_They hate me, _he thought, plopping down on his bed in despair. _I'm not even a Marauder anymore! I really am no better than my family…_He shuddered at the thought of all the abuse he'd endured during the last week. He knew he'd be having nightmares for weeks. But this time, there would be no Remus to comfort him with chocolate.

The other Marauders were in the common room, Remus biting his lip nervously. _Was I too hard on him? _he thought. _No, no. He betrayed me, so he deserves it. _Remus dismissed the thought. "Hey Prongs," he said. James glanced his way, snapped out of from whatever thought he'd been having (probably about Evans, who was glaring at him from across the room).

"Yeah?"

"We haven't pulled a prank in weeks…and Valentine's Day is coming up soon," Remus began, grinning evilly. James and Peter began laughing.

"Since when does Moony ever approve pranking? With him being a Prefect and all," Peter gasped in between laughs. Remus shook his head.

"Am I that bad?" That was met with more laughter. "Valentine's Day is in six days. Any ideas? And no, James, do not try asking Evans out again. Your first sixty-three times have failed, I doubt she'll say yes." James looked slightly crestfallen for a second, but then began speaking in his usual casual tone.

"Slytherins. Pink…" he trailed off, apparently deep in thought.

"I've got it!" Peter squeaked. "We should dye all their hair pink. Snivellus' can be hot pink!" The boys nodded enthusiastically. "I can see it now," continued Peter, "Snivels with pink hair, robes…oh, this'll be good."

James grinned, ruffling his eternally messy black hair. "Pete, I like it! And Moony, I bet Lily will say yes this time! After all, who can resist my incredibly good looks and overall charm?" Perhaps he'd said it a bit too loudly, because with a flash of red hair, Lily was standing in front of him.

"Trust me, Potter, I'll be able to restrain myself," she snarled, emerald eyes flashing. "Engorgio!" she shrieked, aiming her wand at James' head. With a flash of light, his head was inflated to five times its normal size. "Now your head matches your ego!" Her disgust for the boy couldn't be more obvious. With a huff, Lily marched off. The entire common room sniggered at James, whose abnormally large head was causing him to tip forwards.

"Tough luck, James," Remus said, barely containing his laughter. "But I have to say that I told you so. Sixty four times rejected- and counting!"

"That doesn't count! I didn't even ask her yet!" James yelped indignantly. Remus and Peter caught him as he swayed towards the ground.

"Well, you were talking about asking her out, so I think it counts," Peter contributed with a snort. He was silenced immediately as James shot him a filthy look from his gigantic eyes. Remus lost it there, laughing so hard tears poured down his cheeks.

"She's just playing hard to get," James said cockily, reaching up with a relatively minuscule hand to mess with his hair yet again. "Now, Moony, I'd really appreciate it if you shrunk my head to a normal size." Still chuckling, Remus waved his wand and shrunk James' head to its normal size. At half past eleven, after finishing their huge load of homework, the boys returned to their dorm. They didn't expect to hear a piercing scream coming from the ex-Marauder's bed.

Sirius was tossing and turning furiously, writhing as nightmares plagued his sleep. "Stop!" he screamed, his eyes tightly squeezed shut, "Make it stop!" The Marauders eyed him, almost feeling pity for him. Almost. James eyed him coldly. "Silencio," he said. Sirius' tormented screams were muted, but it was impossible to miss his haunted expression. With an uneasy feeling in their stomachs, the other three boys settled in to bed. Within minutes, they were soundly asleep.

A/N: Another chapter! Thanks, as always, to my readers and reviewers. (Hermione Is My Role Model, Dancer055, LuckyCat1) I'll post a new chapter if I pass 8 reviews.


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